


No Shirts on Christmas.

by noctecat



Category: Professional Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Play Fighting, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21963925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noctecat/pseuds/noctecat
Summary: Why the shirt?Yoh didn't take off his shirt for the photoshoot. Sho wants to know why.
Relationships: Komatsu Yohei/Tanaka Sho
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	No Shirts on Christmas.

**Author's Note:**

> based on the ad for the participants in the njpw concurso bodybuilding contest. because when i first saw it, my first thought was, 'yoh, why the fuck are you wearing a shirt?'
> 
> apologies in advance for any typos/bad grammar, holidays meant it was rushed. i may go back and fix it after the new years rush. i also haven't written anything in forever and i'm a little (understatement) rusty, so...
> 
> regardless, happy holidays and new year. :)

"Why the shirt?"

"Hmm?"

Yohei looked over at him, eyebrows raised. They were ambling home, ducking and weaving in tandem to avoid the groups of Christmas shoppers that huddled around almost every shop window they passed. Children yelling and jabbing chubby fingers into the glass which seperated them from the latest LEGO playset or Pokemon action figure; child-less singular parents with bags hanging off one arm and a phone tucked into their shoulder, eyebrows furrowed and frowning as they debated with the person on the other line about whether Yui wanted the pink or the purple, or, no, maybe the green...? Couples pressed together, arm-in-arm, smiling and giggling over lavishly decorated window displays of chocolates and jewellery and flowers and soft toys and all those other items young lovers gave each other for no other reason than to say it.

A young girl in a beanie with sewn-on Mickey Mouse ears ran out in front of them, and Yoh swerved to avoid her, shoulder colliding with Sho's as he did.

"Your shirt. Why did you keep it on? For the photoshoot?" Yoh busied himself brushing imaginary snowflakes off of Sho's shoulder as he continued.

"Oh, that?" Yoh smiled at him. As he looked forward again, he wrapped his arms around himself, tucking his chin down into the collar of the very same shirt they were discussing. "No reason, really. It was just...cold."

They kept walking. Snow was falling, but only in a small amount, just enough to dot the tops of heads with stray flakes. Familiar shop signs and decorations told him they were almost back at the apartment. Smells from a nearby tea shop filled the air: warm green tea, hot chocolate, the distinct aroma of coffee and sweet baking. Snow always seemed to dull everything, blanketing the sights in white, hushing all the usual sounds of people and animals and life, even covering up the scents of the flowers and trees and the morning's sunlight. But even the thickest winter could never seem to block out the smell of shortbread and muffins and steaming hot drinks. He was hungry.

"We should go out for lunch tomorrow." Yoh's almost telepathic timing made Sho laugh to himself.

"Aren't we going out for breakfast on Christmas? And then dinner at the dojo as well?"

Yoh shrugged. "We can't go out for lunch, too?" He glanced over in the direction of the shop. "It smells so _good._ "

"Yeah." Sho nodded, watching Yoh gaze with what was really more longing than necessary at the shop as they passed. The groups of people are them were, step by step, shrinking as they left the shopping district behind them and entered into the residential areas, but they were anything but alone. For the most part, they were now surrounded by couples, strolling with slow, relaxed strides down the street, lost in conversation with or the simple company of the other. Not too far removed from the two of them, Sho supposed.

"It wasn't really that cold," Sho said aloud. Yoh blinked in response to the abruptness of it.

"What?"

"The photoshoot. It wasn't that cold. They had heaters."

"Oh. You're still talking about that?" Yoh let out a short laugh and shrugged. "I just thought it was."

"We've had worse. Remember when Tanahashi used to make us jog in the snow? At five in the morning?" While Sho tended to look back on his dojo experiences with more fondness than most, and especially his training sessions with Tanahashi, it was those early morning jogs that occupied a special place in his mind reserved for the memories that could almost trigger an audible groan out of him just by thinking of them. Being woken to a far-too-cheerful, _'Good morning! Time for a run!'_ atop the gentle sounds of snow hitting the roof of the dojo; forced to change into their athletic wear with pounding heads, blurred eyesight and heavy eyelids; the ice-cold air burning their lungs with every inhale, fingertips and toes turning numb as their feet pounded the pavement and turned the thin layer of fresh ice to grey slush; only the sound of the crunch of their footsteps and their pounding hearts filling their ears. The only benefit to those mornings were when he and Yoh would share a couch for a quick power nap in the thirty minutes they had between their return and the normal start to their days.

Yoh let out a small, annoyed grunt, and rolled his eyes just the slightest bit. "How could I forget?" He spread out his fingers in front of them, white and thin looking from the cold. "I think I almost lost a finger from it," he laughed.

Sho smiled and let out a huff of amusement. They were approaching the building now - he could see it's somewhat dull and generic exterior growing nearer and nearer to them as two men passed in front of it, trying and failing to hide their whispering and giggling with each other. "So, why the shirt, then?"

Yoh's eyes moved with just a slight twitch, as though he were about to roll his eyes at Sho himself. "It was c-"

Sho raised his eyebrows at him. Yoh stopped halfway through his sentence.

There was quiet between them as they stepped through the threshold into the building, and as Sho swiped his keycard to get into the elevator. There had been snow tracked into the elevator, he noted, which had now melted into small puddles on the bland tiled floor. Their faces and the singular, yellowing light that hung above the two of them was reflected back at them as they stepped inside and Sho pressed the button for their floor.

"So why?" Sho stepped back and looked over at him. Yoh looked away, eyes on an empty piece of space in the corner of the elevator. He shrugged, arms crossed.

The elevator rattled over the faint _wooshing_ sound of movement. Sho reached out a hand and poked a determined finger into Yoh's shoulder. "Why?" He poked him again. "Tell me."

He heard Yoh laugh under his breath, and when he turned his head to meet Sho's gaze, his mouth was upturned in a smile. "I just didn't want to."

"What? Why would you-"

Another shrug. "I just didn't."

Sho opened his mouth and then closed it again just as quick, thinking. Then he gave Yoh a look, similar - perhaps the very same - his mother gave him when he told her as a seven-year-old that he wanted to dress up as Jushin Thunder Liger. "You're going to look silly."

"Not everyone takes it as seriously as you and Ishimori, you know." Yoh's arms fell away from their previous home in front of his chest as he began to flex, imitating Sho and Ishimori's own posing at the photoshoot, complete with over-dramatic and elaborate expressions. Despite himself, Sho began to laugh, and reached out to grab Yoh's arms to subdue him and his excessive posturing, but he somehow managed to dodge him in the small space and continued with perhaps even more exaggeration. The two of them would have probably descended into a small scuffle of a friendly wrestling match if they hadn't been interrupted by a ding and the opening of the doors. A pair of frowning middle-aged businessmen watched them as they exited into the hall, Sho releasing the singular wrist of Yoh's that he had managed to seize. They both tried to stifle their laughs as they passed the men - although Sho was sure they didn't do a very good job of it.

Sho let Yoh into the apartment first, and then himself. It was warm inside, even warmer than the photoshoot had been, but in the Goldilocks-perfect, pleasant way. He felt his cheeks go hot with the sudden change in temperature almost straight away. On the far side of the room, the high and rectangular window that usually showed a sliver of a view of the city the building sat amongst had fogged up with the cold outside and the warm indoors.

As the door clicked behind him, it was his turn, now, to cross his arms over his chest. "I don't believe you."

Yoh spun on one heel to look at him. "What?"

"Why didn't you take off your shirt?"

"I told you, I-"

"I don't believe you." Sho took a step towards him. Yoh bit his lip, although whether it was out of nervousness or in an attempt to stifle a laugh at Sho, he wasn't sure. "Why?"

"Doesn't it really matter?" His voice was high and almost whiny, but there was a smile creeping at the corners of his lips. As much as Sho attempted to maintain his still, 'interrogative' expression, he felt his own beginning to mimic him.

"Yes."

"It's not like if I had, I would have looked any better than someone like _you_ or, I don't know, Ibushi or-"

Sho inhaled a short and sudden gasp. Yoh stopped, looking at him.

"What?"

"You were embarrassed?"

Yoh started to respond, then hesitated - which was all the response Sho needed.

"You were!" He exclaimed.

" _No_ ," Yoh responded, crossing his arms.

"Yes."

"No."

Sho raised his eyebrows at him.

Yoh dropped his head. "Okay. Maybe." He looked up at Sho and there was a smile on his face again, although this time, a rather sheepish one.

Sho frowned at him, and took another step forward. "But _why_?"

"I wasn't _that_ embarrassed. It's just-" Yoh waved an absent hand in the air as he tried to articulate himself. " _You_ and all the others look so much better than me, so I didn't-"

"Liar," Sho interrupted him.

The same smile remained on Yoh's face from earlier. "Sho, you don't have to say-"

"Yoh," Sho took another step towards him, the last he could feasibly take without coming close to standing on top of Yoh, and looked at him with a great deal of seriousness. Not a usual occurrence for either of them around the other, and that was why Sho was sure he could see Yoh, for a brief second, have to fight off his initial reaction to laugh at him. " _Taguchi_ was there." It was all he had to say for Yoh to break out in an abrupt and short fit of giggles, nodding through them at Sho's - valid - point.

"Okay, but-"

"No. Even if he _wasn't-_ " Sho reached out a hand and again stuck a finger into Yoh's chest, punctuating each word with a light stab, "You. Are. A. Liar."

With each stab, the smile on Yoh's face widened, showing flashes of white teeth. He brought one of his hands up to bat away Sho's, only for Sho to bring his other hand around to grab Yoh's wrist. Yoh pulled his arm away and out of his grasp with a laugh, then when Sho made a sly attempt to grab at it again, blocked it with a forearm.

"Don't be silly," Yoh pretended to scold him, although he was still only just holding back his laughter.

Sho grinned at him. "I'll prove it. Take off your shirt."

Yoh wrapped his arms around his sides.

"I'll make you," Sho said, raising an eyebrow at him, and Yoh's smile widened.

"As if you could," He teased.

"Oh?" Sho said. "A challenge?"

Without replying, Yoh made a quick dash out from in front of him, weaving between the lounge furniture to put the couch between the two of them. Sho puts his hands on his hips, lowering his eyebrows as he feigned a serious expression - then launched himself towards Yoh, foregoing the path he had taken and instead choosing to vault the entire couch itself. For a second, he thought he had a quick victory as he managed to snake an arm around Yoh's waist, but Yoh twisted himself out of his reach and flee to the other side of the room, near the entrance to the hallway. Now, Sho had an idea; instead of running at him, he began to stalk a slow circle, predator-like, around Yoh, who was almost mocking him with the tiny laughs he let out with every other exhale. He held out a hand and motioned with crooked fingers towards Sho, gesturing with his other hand that he was open and defenseless. Sho bared his teeth in a grin.

Finally, when he was in that sweet spot to one side of Yoh, but not so much that he could just run forward, Sho took off towards him again. Yoh, of course, ducked and ran again, but this time went into the hallway, much to Sho's delight.

"I've got you!" He hollered at him, the neighbors and the expected courtesies of living in an apartment building having made a complete slip of his mind.

"No!' Yoh's voice, along with his laughter, funnelled from the other end of the hallway towards him as he approached. Yoh turned and bolted for the bedroom at the very end, but Sho was hot on his tail. He flung open the door, then, for what couldn't have been more than half a second, hesitated. The bed stood in front of him. Sho had figured out a minute ago what Yoh was only just now: he couldn't go behind it; he couldn't go on either side of it, not without something to block Sho from following him; he could go on top of it, but he or the both of them would either end up going through the roof or the bed itself; and even if he wasn't exactly Lance Archer-sized, he sure as hell couldn't fit _under_ it.

And of course, he couldn't turn around and go back, because-

"Got you!"

Sho jumped on Yoh from behind, locking his arms around his shoulders and throwing his weight into dragging the both of them onto the bed. Yoh let out an undignified squawk of surprise as he tackled him, the mattress creaking under their combined weights as they both came down shoulders-first, the duvets making for a softer than the usual landing for them.

As swift as he has tackled him down, Sho squirmed his way out from underneath Yoh's body and climbed on top of him, knees on either side of his hips. He could feel Yoh's chest and stomach shaking and hiccupping with now almost uncontrollable laughter beneath him as he grabbed the edges of his shirt and began to yank it upwards, towards his armpits and shoulders. Yoh made attempts to assault his arms with soft little slaps, but they were weaker than ever before and interrupted by his giggling.

"Okay, okay! Fine!" Finally, Yoh grabbed the edges of his shirt himself and finished the job for Sho, pulled it up and over his arms and face. It was sent flying to the other side of the room as the now shirtless Yoh looked up at him, grinning. "Are you happy now?"

Sho put his hands on his hips and looked down, running his eyes over Yoh's body, admiring his work. Then he looked back at his face, shooting a smug smile back at him. "Yes."

"Oh, good," Yoh replied. His giggles had died away from a brief second, and the smile on his face now turned from amused to determined. "Because I'm not."

His body all of a sudden bucked beneath Sho, sending him off balance. One of his arms came up and hooked him around the torso, pulling him to the side and downwards, and in a dizzying whirl of colors that went from white walls, to dark duvet, to white ceiling and finally, Yoh, Sho found their positions reversed. Yoh was now on top of him, knees pinning him to the bed, grabbing at the edges of his shirt and pulling it upward. Laughing so hard he thought he might choke or run out of breath, Sho obliged him, pulling the shirt all the way off and tossing it in the general direction he thought Yoh's might have gone.

"There. Are _you_ happy now?" Yoh nodded down at him, grinning, and they both began to dissolve in full-blown laughter. Yoh released him out from underneath his knees and collapsed back on the bed beside him, the two of them lying bare shoulder-to-bare shoulder, panting for breath when they at last managed to somewhat contain their laughter.

"I'm never going to a photoshoot with you again," Yoh declared. Sho looked at him, and he looked back. They both had messy hair, locks falling over their eyes and standing up all over the place, and their cheeks with tinged pink.

"No."

" _Yes._ You're stuck with Taguchi from now on." Yoh crossed his arms one more time. " _He'll_ take his shirt off for you."

"Really? You're going to stick me with that pervert?" Sho pouted, feigning an expression of upset. Yoh - the bastard that he was - laughed in his face.

"You deserve it."

"No."

"Yes."

There was a lull of silence between them, unfamiliar after their bouts of giggling. Yoh stroked the back of Sho's thumb with his own where his hand of landed on his when they had collapsed together.

"If that's the case, then," Sho began to speak again, and Yoh looked at him. "I'm getting Taguchi to make you take your shirt off next time, not me."

Yoh sat up with an abrupt movement at that, and exclaimed, "No!"

Sho shot him an evil grin and the two of them cracked up once more. He hooked an arm around Yoh's neck and pulled him back down towards him, Sho laughing into his messy hair and Yoh laughing into the crook of his neck.

"Let's just both not wear shirts," Sho suggested. He felt Yoh nod.

"No shirts. Okay. Agreed?"

"No shirts. Agreed."


End file.
